Students should involve themselves in community activities _____________ they can gain experience for growth.
A. who B. when C. which D. where
The new policy on education has attracted _____________ attention.
A. a huge number of B. a large sum of
C. a great deal of D. a great many
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Conquering Procrastination (拖延症)
Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last possible minute, can be a major problem in both your career and your personal life. 1. . Therefore, it takes deliberate strategies to avoid becoming our own worst enemy by procrastinating on our intended actions.
Don’t give in to feeling good. 2. . For example, a task at hand makes us feel anxious or overwhelmed, so we give in to feeling good, seeking immediate emotional relief, and we walk away, leaving the task for tomorrow. To cope with this, stay for a minute — don’t walk away. Acknowledge the negative emotions, but get started anyway. Progress on a goal provides the motivation for another step forward.
3. . We’re most likely to procrastinate on tasks that lack structure. This means that in addition to making your task specific, it’s important to reduce the uncertainty about how to continue — and, when it’s time to act, to reduce available distractions (分心的事物) as well. Shut off your e-mail, separate yourself from others as much as you can, and make sure the environment around you is working to strengthen your willpower and focus, not to weaken your efforts.
Make the most of the willpower muscle. A great deal of recent research clearly indicates that willpower is like a muscle. You can exhaust it more quickly than you might imagine and, when you do, you lose your ability to self-regulate your behavior. One immediate method to strengthen your resolve in order to keep you on task is to remind yourself of your values. 4. .
Beating procrastination isn’t rocket science, but it is psychology. Procrastinators can change their behavior — but doing so consumes a lot of mental energy. 5. . It can be done with highly organized cognitive (认知的) behavior treatment.
A. Its side effects include losing opportunities, rushed work, stress, anger, and guilt.
B. Do not perform several tasks at a time.
C. This process of self-recognition strengthens our weakening willpower.
D. When self-regulation fails, it’s often because short-term emotional repair comes before our long-term goals.
E. And it doesn’t necessarily mean one feels transformed internally.
F. It means doing more enjoyable things in place of less enjoyable ones.
G. Reduce uncertainty and distractions.
It is all very well to blame traffic jams, the cost of petrol and the quick pace of modern life, but manners on the roads are becoming horrible. Everybody knows that the nicest men become monsters behind the wheel. It is very well, again, to have a tiger in the tank, but to have one in the driver’s seat is another matter altogether. You might tolerate the odd road-hog, the rude and inconsiderate driver, but nowadays the well-mannered motorist is the exception to the rule. Perhaps the situation calls for a “Be Kind to Other Drivers” campaign, otherwise it may get completely out of control.
Road politeness is not only good manners, but good sense too. It takes the most cool-headed and good-tempered drivers to resist the temptation to revenge when subjected to uncivilized behavior. On the other hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards relieving the tensions of motoring. A friendly nod or a wave of acknowledgement in response to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of goodwill and tolerance so necessary in modern traffic conditions. But such acknowledgements of politeness are all too rare today. Many drivers nowadays don’t even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it.
However, misplaced politeness can also be dangerous. Typical examples are the driver who brakes violently to allow a car to emerge from a side street at some hazard to following traffic, when a few seconds later the road would be clear anyway; or the man who waves a child across a zebra crossing into the path of oncoming vehicles that may be unable to stop in time. The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they want to. It always amazes me that the highways are not covered with the dead bodies of these grannies.
A veteran (资深的) driver, whose manners are faultless, told me it would help if motorists learnt to filter correctly into traffic streams one at a time without causing the total blockages that give rise to bad temper. Unfortunately, modern motorists can’t even learn to drive, let alone master the subtler aspects of boatmanship. Years ago the experts warned us that the car-ownership explosion would demand a lot more give-and-take from all road users. It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart.
1.According to this passage, troubles on the road are primarily caused by ________.
A. people’s attitude towards the road-hog
B. the rhythm of modern life
C. the behavior of the driver
D. traffic conditions
2.The sentence “You might tolerate the odd road-hog... the rule.” (Para. 1) implies that ________.
A our society is unjust towards well-mannered motorists
B. rude drivers can be met only occasionally
C. the well-mannered motorist cannot tolerate the road-hog
D. nowadays impolite drivers make up the majority of motorists
3.In the writer’s opinion, which is “misplaced politeness”?
A. Revenge when subjected to uncivilized behavior.
B. Encouraging old ladies to cross the road as long as they want to.
C. A wave of acknowledgement in response to an act of politeness.
D. Waving a child across a zebra crossing.
4.In the writer’s opinion, ________.
A. strict traffic regulations are badly needed
B. drivers should apply road politeness properly
C. rude drivers should be punished
D. drivers should avoid traffic jams
When I was superintendent of schools in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our board of trustees（董事会）, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly's son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as educationally handicapped and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents acknowledged his academic difficulties, but always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper.
Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known when I talked to him last that it would be the last time. If I had only known I would have said, "Jim, I love you and I'm so very proud of you."
I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he brought to the lives of the many who loved him. I would have taken time to appreciate his beautiful smile, the sound of his laughter, his genuine love of people.
When you put all the good attributes on the scale(天平) and you try to balance all the irritating traits such as the radio which was always too loud, the haircut that wasn't to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., the irritations don't amount to much.
I won't get another chance to tell my son all I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, you do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear if you knew it would be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the day he died. He called me to say, "Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. Got to go to work. Bye." He gave me something to treasure forever.
If there is any purpose at all to Jim's death, maybe it is to make others appreciate more of life and to have people, especially families, take the time to let each other know just how much we care.
You may never have another chance. Do it today!
1.Which of the following is NOT true about Jim?
A. He was a boy handicapped and needed lots of patience.
B. He was an optimistic child and was sincere and kind to others.
C. He found a job after his graduation from high school.
D. He held a positive attitude to life despite his great difficulty in learning.
2.The letter submitted by Jim’s mother is intended to____________.
A. be in memory of her son who died at an early age
B. appeal to people to pay attention to road safety
C. remind people to cherish their friends and families
D. show the great sorrow when parents lost their child
3.The underlined word “traits” in the fourth paragraph probably means___________.
A. portraits B. Qualities C. arguments D. habits
4.The passage is most probably entitled__________.
A. A Heart-broken Story B. Memories About Jim
C. Great Parental Love D. Do It Today
A recent survey found that the French are the second-most insecure people in Europe after Italy about their proficiency in English. Only 13 percent of the French respondents believed they are proficient in the language, according to the European data agency Eurostat.
The situation is no better in business circles, where three-quarters of French executives feel unprepared to hold an interview in English and only 16 percent say they feel comfortable with the language, a separate survey showed.
The survey results aren't surprising. The French seem to have always had this cold and gloomy（沮丧的）attitude toward the English language. But what struck me is that, despite the French pessimism, living in Paris without being able to speak the language of Moliere is easier these days than in the past.
New immigrants are part of the reason. I can have an easy chat with the owner of the laundry in my neighborhood. Buying the medicine I need at the local pharmacy is effortless. Ordering a meal in English at the restaurant two blocks away from my apartment does not make me feel awkward. It is all because the people who run these businesses are immigrants.
Greater tolerance and acceptance of non-French speakers is a reflection of the fact that France, willingly or not, has begun to embrace(拥抱) globalization more comfortably. For instance, you will never get the same look you would have had 15 years ago if you ask for directions in English on the streets of Paris.
I have also met many native French who are happy to communicate in English. They are usually the kind of people who are open-minded and are sensitive to the changes beyond their own territories. They are very interested in gaining insight into what is happening on the other side of the globe.
In my hometown, English is also being hotly debated since Beijing education authorities decided to reduce the importance of English proficiency in college entrance exams and increase that of the Chinese language and literature. The Chinese and the French share similarities in attitudes toward foreign languages. We are both so proud of our own languages and cultures that we can feel uncomfortable when we are forced to communicate in another language.
But like it or not, English is still the most widely used language in the world, at least for the foreseeable（可预知的） future. After all, it is not about abandoning one's own language but about being able to fit more easily into this globalized world.
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A. French people have great difficulty speaking English.
B. English is becoming increasingly acceptable in France.
C. Great changes take place in France because of the immigrants.
D. English helps France to embrace globalization.
2.The expression “to speak the language of Moliere” can be understood as________________.
A. to speak Italian
B. to speak English
C. to speak French
D. to speak the language of an immigrant named Moliere
3.What is the purpose of mentioning Chinese in the 7th paragraph?
A. To prove Chinese and French share a lot similarities in culture.
B. To show how wise it is to reduce the importance of English in exams.
C. To explain why French people are unwilling to speak English.
D. To show how proud they are to own their own languages.
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A. The immigrants in France speak English as their native language.
B. In France people refuse to communicate with each other in English.
C. Italians feel the most unconfident in speaking English in Europe.
D. French people are happy to face the changes in their country.
